


A Beifong Woman's Guide to Getting the Girl

by Marezelle



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending, Avatar Femslash Week, F/F, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-12 13:10:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4480373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marezelle/pseuds/Marezelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Jinora reads in the corner of the coffee house almost every time Opal works, and even though Opal is a tad nervous about asking her out she is a Beifong Woman and there is no way she is going to be intimidated by the studious beauty whose nose is always in a book. Absolutely not.</p><p>Written for Avatar Femslash week, Day One - Modern AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Beifong Woman's Guide to Getting the Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Just a silly fluffy plotless thing I wrote for a ship that I have absolutely not seen enough of. Jinopal forever! <3 Enjoy!

The girl was there again, sitting in the corner of the coffee house reading a book, just as she had nearly every afternoon Opal had worked since the semester had started. She was more than a little curious because the girl was rather lovely, and her interest only grew after taking the girl’s order. She was of average height, had fair, clear skin, and had smooth brown hair cut in a bob not too unlike Opal’s own. She was also really, really attractive, and Opal had to work hard to ignore it.

“Hi, what can I get you?” Opal had asked when the girl ordered, the usual script. The other girl brought her knuckle to her chin as she quietly contemplated the menu. Today she was wearing a dark red dress with a thin gold belt, and it looked beautiful on her. Opal swallowed nervously, but held it together. _Like a true Beifong woman_ , she thought. Like her mother, and her grandmother, and her aunt.

Finally she made up her mind. “A regular iced mocha, please.” Their hands didn’t touch when the girl handed over a five, thank goodness, or Opal might have had a heart attack. She even gave her exact change, biting her lip in an absolutely adorable manner as she rummaged through her bag trying to find a nickel. She was cute, okay? But there was nothing there. Absolutely nothing. She was just another attractive customer.

Well. Not just another cute customer, Opal thought. The girl had been seated at her table for perhaps half an hour, and Opal had just caught herself looking over toward her corner for probably the fifth time in the last fifteen minutes. She certainly hadn’t been like that with the last customer who’d caught her eye, a rambling guy who had made very little sense but had had a cute smile. He was a friend of a friend, close with Opal’s coworker Korra, and she’d briefly considered giving him a shot. She hadn’t been too heartbroken when it didn’t work out.

The thing about this girl was that even though she was alone she seemed perfectly at ease with herself. She wasn’t like the shy and shifty introverts who ordered their coffees and then were far too self-conscious of themselves as they picked their spot and tried to work, nor like the attention-seeking hipsters who came in alone but were obviously trying to prove to the world that they were capital-c Cool for spending time in a coffee house. This girl just _was._ She had confidence to the max, but in an unassuming way. As Opal glanced over for the sixth or seventh time she caught her taking a sip of her mocha. The iced mocha that Opal herself had made. _I touched that cup_ , she thought. _Wait. No. I’m not that pathetic. Don’t go there._

As she turned to the next customer, Opal silently admitted defeat. But a little crush wasn’t the worst thing in the world, especially when it would never, ever escalate to anything more.

\---

She wouldn’t admit it to just anybody, but she had been wrong. Opal Beifong had a very big crush, and it had not yet faded away.

A month later and the girl was still a regular at the coffee house. Opal had, however, finally learned her name. Jinora was what her younger sister called her when the two came in on Saturday during the university’s Family Weekend. She wasn’t actually supposed to have even worked that afternoon, but Korra begged her to switch shifts so that she could spend more time with her parents before they had to catch their flight home. And even though Opal had a bigger family visiting, their train didn’t leave until the next day. So she took the shift, and the moment Jinora walked in Opal was glad she had.

Jinora. It was a pretty name, suitable for the prettiest girl Opal had ever seen. She was nearly always reading, and had even brought a book with her when she came with her sister, although she hadn’t opened it. Opal had never seen a person who had talked as much as Jinora’s sister. Her name was Ikki, she thought, or something similar. Jinora spoke far more quietly than her sister did, that was for sure. Softer, but with more purpose. Opal tried to listen in on the conversation, but the coffee house was busy, and as a result, loud. It was still a good shift, regardless. The girls left about ten minutes before Opal’s shift ended, leaving her wondering where they were off to.

And goodness, did Opal wonder. She never saw Jinora anywhere else on campus, but it wasn’t exactly a small university. She couldn’t guess at the girl’s major, though she nearly always had books, novels or otherwise, with her. And Jinora never came in with anyone else, always settling in by herself. Only one person had ever approached her and talked to her, a tan skinned boy who seemed to already know her. But even that conversation was short and polite, and all too soon Jinora’s nose was back in her book.

There came a point when Opal had to admit that her crush wasn’t quite as small as she thought it was. She admitted that to Korra one night when they were walking back to their dorm hall after work.

“Then you have to do something about it, Opal! Ask her out. Give her your number. If I didn’t already have a great girlfriend,” she waggled her eyebrows, “I’d probably even consider it. But she seems more your type, anyway.”

“It’s not that easy! What if she doesn’t like girls? What if she doesn’t like me?”

Korra gave her a nudge. “Opal, you’re a great person. She has no reason to say no. And if she does? It’s not the end of the world. She’s just another customer. If you’re as into her as you say you are, it’s absolutely worth rejection. Just do it. C’mon.”

Opal took a deep breath. “Yeah. Okay. Fine. I should ask her out.” She paused and thought about it for a moment. “Korra, how do I do that?”

Korra patted her on the shoulder. “It’s not too hard. You could do what I did and write her a poem… but you know, in retrospect that didn’t actually work as well as I thought it would.”

“Oh really, your puns didn’t sweep Asami off her feet? How shocking.”

“Come on, they’re not that bad! She thought it was cute. I just got all stuttery when I was reading it to her, was all.”

Opal rolled her eyes. “Good to know, but that doesn’t help me. I guess I’ll just have to talk to her the next time she comes in.”

“See, there you go. Just talk to her and see where it goes. It’ll be a breeze. Soon we’ll all be double dating. It’ll be great!” Korra grinned. Her enthusiasm, like always, came in waves. Opal just smiled and laughed.

By the time Opal was back in her room she’d come up with a foolproof plan. The next time Jinora ordered her coffee Opal would tell her that she liked her, and hand her a slip of paper with her name and number on it. It was simple, and as Korra agreed, flawless. Of course, Jinora could always say no, but all she could do was put herself out there. The rest, she hoped, would take care of itself.

\---

A few weeks later Opal was working the evening shift when Jinora came in carrying a tote full of books. She watched in her peripheral vision as Jinora deposited her things at her usual table before coming up to the counter to order.

This was it. Opal reached into her apron pocket for the slip of paper and held it in her left hand. Beifong women were not known to be shy, or hesitant. In that regard she might have been a little different from her family, but jeez. She had four brothers. Opal knew how to raise her voice and get what she wanted. It was something her mom had taught her to do when she was young and the twins all but ran through her as they played and wrestled. Be assertive. Be confident. But be yourself, and it’ll all work out in the end. Be brave. Be strong and nothing will ever stand-

Opal realized that Jinora had been waiting silently at the counter as she spaced out, and completely lost any and all poise that she’d ever had. When glanced up at her she jumped and- _shit,_ she dropped the paper. _No no no no, shit._ “Oh, sorry, I’m sorry. Good evening, er. How can I help you?”

Jinora shrugged with a smile. “It’s alright. I’d like a regular vanilla latte, hot, please.”

Opal tapped the numbers in, and shifted. She could feel the paper fold under her shoe. Ugh. “Will that be all?”

“Mmhmm.” Jinora nodded, and handed over the money. She fiddled with her bracelet, and smiled warmly as Opal handed back her change. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. It’ll be right up,” Opal said, and before she knew it Jinora had moved out of the line and she’d lost her chance. Damn. She was Beifong woman, but for what? The twins would be ashamed, if they had any interest in her ability to flirt. Her aunt, maybe. Opal knew exactly what Lin would say were she to hike across campus to her aunt’s office and find out. _You’re being ridiculous, my goodness. Just tell the girl you like her, it’s not that hard. Sheesh._

So… it wasn’t too late. Not at all. As Opal took the next order, she came up with a new plan. Once the line had dwindled down, she’d take her break and just walk over there to that corner and tell Jinora that she liked her. Easy peasy.

Fifteen minutes later, she got her chance, and before she knew it Korra was pushing her out from behind the counter. “Go get her!” she whisper-cheered, and Opal gave her the signature Beifong _for the love of god please shut up_ look as she righted herself. She turned to see that Jinora was, as usual, sitting and reading, before she ever so conveniently looked up, only to see Opal watching her.

Wide-eyed, Opal quickly glanced back at Korra. “I can’t do this.”

Korra crossed her arms. “Opal Beifong, get your ass over there and ask that girl out before I do it for you. Or worse, I’ll call Su and tell her about the time you bet Asami that you could out drink her-”

“I’m _going,_ ” Opal hissed, and then she began walking. _It’s now or never, right?_

Jinora had kept reading as Opal approached, and didn’t look up until Opal was looming over her. “Hey, um. It’s Jinora, right?”

When Jinora met her gaze Opal about melted through the floor. Her eyes were like brown like dark chocolate, and Opal wanted to stare into them forever. “Yeah. And you’re Opal.” She nodded at her nametag.

Opal smiled and chuckled. “Yup, that’s me. I was just, uh, wondering if-” she glanced back at the counter, only to see Korra giving her a thumbs up. “If I could sit? I’m on break for the next ten minutes or so.”

“Of course.” She smiled politely, and Opal carefully pulled out the opposite chair and sat down. “Are you a student at the university, too?” Jinora asked, grabbing her bookmark and tucking it into the novel she was reading.

“Yeah, I’m a sophomore political science major. And you?”

Jinora tapped her book with her index finger. “I’m an English literature major, and a freshman. But it feels like I’ve been around here forever, even though it’s technically my first semester. My dad’s the philosophy department head.”

Opal raised her eyebrows. “Wait, your dad is Tenzin?” At Jinora’s shy smile, Opal exclaimed, “I have him this semester! I’m minoring in philosophy, too, he’s teaching my Buddhist Philosophy class. Wow. Small world, huh?”

Jinora nodded back at her. “Yeah, it kinda is. I even almost took that class, since I’ve learned most of it through him already. Easy credit, you know? But I didn’t get to it this semester. How are you liking it?”

“Oh, it’s great! He’s a great teacher, and I’m into the subject. I actually have a family member who works here, too. My aunt Lin teaches a few criminal justice classes.”

“Wait a second. Is your aunt Lin Beifong?”

Opal nodded. “Yeah, that’s her. Do you know her?”

At that, Jinora laughed. It was soft and low, and made Opal feel rather fluttery. “Not personally, no. But she dated my dad a long time ago, before he ever met my mom.” She grinned. “It’s just like you said. It’s a small world after all.”

She just kept grinning at Opal, until Opal got it and she chuckled. “Okay, that was bad. That was just _bad_.”

Jinora shrugged and blinked at her innocently, but there was mischief in her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Disney references are never bad.”

“Whatever you say, Belle.” Opal glanced pointedly at the stack of books on the edge of the table, and Jinora bit back a smile. There was a pause, then, as they watched each other. Jinora’s hands were clasped neatly in her lap, and she regarded Opal openly and curiously. Opal glanced down at Jinora’s book, and then back at her.

Jinora looked interested in her company, at the very least, so Opal steeled herself and then went for it. “So the reason I came over here is because I think you’re very pretty,” she took a deep breath, “And I would like to ask you out on a date. If you’d like.”

A moment passed, and Opal’s stomach about dropped as Jinora’s eyes widened a little, but then she nodded again. “Yes. Thank you. But yes,” she said, a little breathless. “I would.”

She was blushing a little, and goodness if it didn’t make her prettier, wow. Opal reached into her pocket, and handed Jinora the piece of paper. “Awesome! Here’s my number. I was going to give it to you earlier, actually. So you could call me, or text me?”

Jinora smiled, and her eyes flickered to the paper. She flipped it before looking back up, and raising an eyebrow at Opal. “This is a coffee receipt.”

Oh no. “Wait, sorry, shoot. Wrong paper, uh, here it is-” Opal shoved her hand back into her pocket, and this time she checked it before smoothing it out and switching it for the receipt with Jinora, who was giggling at her. “I dropped it and stepped on it, earlier.” She added, “Which is why it’s all crumpled. Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Jinora said, and her expression Opal made it better. She looked thrilled, even though she was obviously trying to hide it, and there was still a light blush on her face. “I’ll call you sometime later this week?”

Opal nodded and crumpled the receipt in her palm. All things considered, it had gone _perfectly._ Well, perhaps not, but she’d gotten the date! And Jinora seemed to like her! “Yeah, wow, that’d be great.” She glanced back at the counter, where Korra was at the register beginning to deal with a couple of customers. “I should get back up there. I’ll see you around?”

“I’m looking forward to it, Opal Beifong,” Jinora replied, and Opal could have sworn she glowed as she said it.

\---

When they met on the quad three days later, Jinora wearing that same red dress and a bright and beautiful smile, Opal had a feeling that everything was going to work out wonderfully.


End file.
